Chapter 2: In Another World
I came to my senses, laying on my back and gazing up at the sky. The clouds
were floating on gently by, and I could hear birds chirping in the distance.
I clambered to my feet, noticing my body didn't hurt at all. As I surveyed my
surroundings, I took note of mountains and grassy plains all around me. I could
see a large tree in the distance. Plus, I thought I could make out a road next to it
as well.
There was no mistaking it, I was in another world.
"Guess I'll just walk the road and see if I run into anyone." My immediate
checkpoint in sight, I set off toward the big tree. Upon reaching it, I got a better
look at things. I was right! There was a road nearby.
"Now... left or right, that is the question." I pondered my options beneath the
shade of the giant tree.
The nearest landmark to my right looked to be an hour's walk away. Off to
the left, I could make out a town. It was probably eight hours by foot... As I was
lost in thought, my smartphone began to ring. The Caller ID was listed as "God."
"Hello?"
"Ooh! It went through! I see that you have arrived safely." I could hear God's
voice as I held the phone close to my ear. We'd only just parted, but it felt as
though we were talking for the first time in forever.
"I forgot to mention one thing. The maps and compasses and such on your
phone should be compatible with this world now. I hope they help you out
some!"
"Wow, really? That's great timing, actually. I was a little bit lost, and
wondering where I should go."
"I had assumed so. I could have just as easily dropped you in the middle of a
town, but think of the panic that would ensue. I had thought you would rather
avoid that, so I dropped you off where nobody would see you instead. Of
course, that brings us to the problem of you being lost in the middle of
nowhere."
"Heh, yup," I answered with a somewhat wry smile. It was only natural I'd be
lost. I didn't have a destination, a hometown, or even any acquaintances.
"If you follow your map, you should be able to reach the nearest town
without incident. Do your best out there. Goodbye."
"Will do. Later." As the call ended, I went back to the home screen, located
the map application, and opened it up. My location was displayed in the very
center of the map. A road stretched out right alongside that point. This must
have been the very road I was looking at. Zooming further out, I took note of
the town to the west. It was... Reflet? The town of Reflet.
"Well, I guess that's where I'm headed." Firing up a simple compass app, I
took heed and headed west.
After walking a fair bit, the reality of my situation finally began to sink in. To
begin with, I had no food. Not to mention the fact that I had no water. Once I
got into town, what then? I had no money. I still had my wallet, but what good
was that? Was there an exchange rate for my country's money? From a logical
perspective, it was all worthless now. What to do...
As I was lost in thought, a sound steadily approached from behind. I turned
around to check, and saw something off in the distance. It was heading this
way, and it appeared to be... a horse-drawn carriage. I'd never seen a carriage
before in my life, but it was generally something you'd find someone riding in.
This would be first contact with life in another world. Think, what should I do?
Try and stop it? I could have asked for a ride into town, but I decided against the
idea. Why? A simple enough reason.
As the carriage grew closer, I could tell at a glance that it was a very high-class
vehicle. Its physical appearance showed that it was gorgeously adorned and
built of the highest craftsmanship. Even I could tell at a glance that it was the
sort of vehicle ridden by a noble, or at least some rich person of high status.
If I were to stop a carriage like that only to be met with a line like "Insolent
knave! I'll see you hanged for this!" then it'd be no laughing matter. I decided it
was in my best interest to give way instead, so I simply moved to the edge of
the road.
The carriage passed me by, kicking up a cloud of dust in its wake. Good. I was
glad I'd managed to avoid any trouble. However, as I turned to resume walking
down the road, I noticed that it had come to a stop a short way ahead.
"You! Yes you, over there!" A man slammed the carriage door open and
stepped out. He was an older gentleman with gray hair and a splendid
mustache. He wore a stylish scarf and mantle, and a rose brooch shone on his
chest.
"Uhm, yes? What is it...?" Clearly excited about something, the older
gentleman made his way over. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was mostly
just relieved that we seemed to be speaking the same language. The man firmly
gripped my shoulders and held me in place. His eyes wandered all across my
body as though slowly savoring something. Er, wait... what? This could be bad...
"Wh-Where in the world did you get these clothes?!"
"Sorry?" I was taken aback, left utterly baffled by his question. The gentleman
was so immersed in scanning my school uniform from every angle that he didn't
even pay any attention to my confusion.
"I've never seen a design such as this. And the way this was sewn... How could
this have been made...? Hrmm..."
And then it all started to make sense. To put it simply, my uniform was rare.
Maybe nothing else like it existed in this world. In that case...
"You can have it, if you'd like."
"Are you certain?!" The mustachioed gentleman took the bait.
"I acquired these clothes from a traveling merchant. If you would rather have
them, I don't mind handing them over. However, that puts me at a loss, as I'd
have nothing to wear. If you might kindly take me into town and help me find a
new set of clothes, I would be very grateful."
I couldn't possibly have told him that my clothes came from another world, so
I was forced to come up with an excuse. If I somehow managed to sell my
clothes and make a bit of money off of them, that was one problem solved.
Plus, it would help me get clothes that didn't stand out so much. Killing two
birds with one stone, so to speak.
"Very well! Step aboard and accompany me to town! I shall have new clothes
prepared for you on the double. You may sell your current garments once that
is taken care of."
"Then we have a deal," I sternly replied. The mustachioed gentleman firmly
shook my hand in response.
After that, it only took three hours to reach the town of Reflet by carriage.
During the journey, the gentleman, who introduced himself as Zanac, took my
jacket and ran his hands over it several times, examining it down to every last
seam. He seemed extremely interested in the make of the clothes. Once I
learned of his job, it all made sense. Apparently Zanac worked in the fashion
industry. That explained his initial reaction and all of his curious behavior.
Today, too, it seemed he had been on his way back from a meeting of some
kind.
As for me, I passed the time staring out of the carriage window. The scenery
of a brand new world. A world which was my new home.
◇ ◇ ◇
It had been three hours since I first met Zanac. After a lot of rocking and
shaking, the carriage safely arrived at Reflet.
A soldier, possibly some kind of gatekeeper, met us at the entrance and
questioned us before promptly allowing us to pass. From his reaction, it seemed
that Zanac was quite famous.
The carriage rattled loudly as we proceeded down the town streets. Since the
roads were old cobblestone, it shook quite a bit. Carrying on, we made our way
to what seemed to be a prosperous shopping district with many stores all lined
up in a row. The carriage stopped in front of one such shop.
"We've arrived! Come now, let's see you into some new clothes." I did as
Zanac asked and stepped out onto the street. The store's signboard sported a
needle and thread design, but it was the writing below that had alerted me to
an alarming fact.
"I can't read it..." I couldn't read what was written on the sign. That definitely
wasn't good news.
I had thought it might be okay since I was able to talk just fine, but that
seemed not to be the case. It could've been worse, I supposed, since at least
being able to converse meant I could still have somebody teach me to read and
write. Day one in another world and I already had something to study...
Zanac led me into the shop, and several of the staff came to greet us.
"Welcome back, owner!" I was taken aback by what they said.
"Owner...?"
"Ah, I run this store. But that's not important right now, let's get you
changed! Somebody pick out new clothes for this boy!" Zanac whisked me off
into a changing room, which was an actual small room with a door, not just a
box with a curtain dividing it off.
After that, he rushed back in with a pile of clothes. I removed my blazer, tie,
and shirt so I could begin getting changed. I was wearing a simple black T-shirt
underneath, and it seemed to have caught Zanac's eye as well.
"M-Might I press you to sell me those undergarments as well...?!" The
scoundrel.
In the end, I was made to sell every last thread off my back. Everything
including my socks and shoes. By the time my underpants were added to his list
of demands, I had become quite tired of the ordeal. I understood how he felt, I
just wish he could've understood how I felt...
The clothes and shoes he'd prepared for me in return were comfy and easy to
wear. I certainly had no complaints about them. Black pants and a white shirt,
with a black jacket over the top. A chic outfit that also wasn't too showy. I liked
it. It kept me from standing out.
"Now, how much are you selling me your clothes for? I'll spare no expense, of
course, but did you have a particular charge in mind?"
"Well... I'm afraid I don't really have a good estimate in mind. This isn't my
field of expertise, you see. I can only assume they'd be expensive, but... To be
completely honest, I'm penniless right now."
"I see... That is rather sad to hear. Well then, how does ten gold pieces
sound?" Without any knowledge of the currency in this world, I had no way to
judge the worth of ten gold pieces. As such, I accepted.
"Sounds good."
"Wonderful! Well, here you are," Zanac replied, clearly pleased by my answer.
Ten gold pieces jingled into the palm of my hand. Each one was about as big
as a 500 yen coin, and had engravings of something resembling a lion. It was my
entire life savings. Something I had to spend wisely.
"By the way, you wouldn't know where I could find someplace like an inn,
would you? I'd like to find a place to rest my head before the sun goes down."
"An inn, yes? Turn right as you go out onto the street, then follow the road.
You should see a sign for the Silver Moon Inn, won't be hard to find." Even if I
did spot it, I wouldn't know because I couldn't read... Well, it wouldn't be a
problem since I could just keep asking people as I went. Even if I couldn't read, I
could still talk.
"Got it, thanks. I'll be on my way then."
"Very well. If you come across any other unusual garments, please bring them
my way."
I said my goodbyes to Zanac and left the shop. The sun was still high in the
sky. I took my smartphone out and turned it on. The time seemed to be just
before 2PM.
"I wondered this in the carriage, but... the time should be accurate too,
right...?" Going by the sun, it couldn't have been too far off at least.
Right then, something suddenly came to mind. I fired up the map application.
It showed my current location on the town map, and sure enough, the street
and shop names were also displayed. I certainly wouldn't be getting lost now. I
found the Silver Moon Inn on the app quickly enough. Oh, wait a minute...
I turned back and looked at Zanac's store. "...«FASHION KING ZANAC» That's
seriously what the sign said...?" I set off for the inn, all the while feeling bad for
poor Zanac and his terrible naming sense.
◇ ◇ ◇
After a bit of walking, I found the sign for the Silver Moon. The logo had a
crescent moon design. Fairly standard, all things considered. The building,
which was made of brick and wood, looked like it stood three stories tall. It
certainly seemed sturdy enough, at any rate.
I passed through the double-leaf doors. The room inside resembled a bar or
dining hall with a large counter on the right. To the left, there were stairs
leading upward.
"Welcome. Are you here for a meal, or is it a room you want?" The lady
behind the counter called out to me. Her red hair was tied up in a ponytail and
she looked quite lively. A woman in her early 20s, or so I guessed.
"Ah, I'd like to rent a room please. How much a night?"
"Two copper! Meals are included with the price. Oh, you'll have to pay up
front as well."
Two copper coins...? I couldn't tell if that was expensive or cheap. Logically it
was at least cheaper than one gold coin, but I couldn't guess how many copper
made up one gold.
With no other option, I took one gold coin from my wallet and placed it on
the counter.
"How many nights will this get me?"
"Whaddya mean, how many? Fifty, right?" She replied, clearly exasperated.
"Fifty?!"
I felt stung by the sudden look she gave me, which made me feel that she was
basically saying "Hey, can't you count?" or something. So then... one gold
equals one-hundred copper. Ten gold could buy me five-hundred nights. I could
live comfortably for around a year and a half without lifting a finger. Well, that
meant I had a lot of money, didn't it?
"Well? What'll it be?"
"Err... one month's lodging, please."
"Alrighty! One month it is. I haven't had many customers lately, so you're kind
of a life-saver right now. Haha, thank you. I'm out of silver coins though, so I'll
just give you the change in copper."
The lady took my gold coin and returned forty copper to me. If she took sixty
copper, then that meant one month was roughly thirty days in this world, too.
Pretty close to the old world, then.
With that sorted, the lady brought out what appeared to be a hotel register
from behind the counter. She opened it up in front of me, then handed me a
feather pen.
"Okay, then. If you could just sign here, please."
"Oh, excuse me... Thing is, I can't actually write. Could you fill it in for me,
please?"
"Really? Well, that's fine. What's your name?"
"It's Mochizuki. Mochizuki Touya."
"Mochizuki? That's a pretty unusual name."
"Ah, wait, no. My given name is Touya. Mochizuki is my surname... my er,
family name."
"Ooh, okay! Your given name and family name are reversed. Are you from
Eashen?"
"Err... somewhere around those parts, sure." I hadn't the faintest clue where
in the world Eashen was, but I couldn't come up with anything better, so I left it
at that. I resolved to look over my map later to see if I could find this Eashen
place on it.
"Okay. Your room's on the third floor, right at the end. It gets the best
sunlight out of all of our rooms! Here's your key, be sure not to lose it. The
toilet and the bath are both on the first floor, and this room here is for dining.
Speaking of which, will you be having lunch today?"
"Oh, please. I haven't eaten since this morning..."
"I'll whip up something real quick, then. You can use this time to go check out
your room, maybe rest a bit."
"Got it," I said. I then took my room key, went upstairs to the third floor, and
opened the door to my room. It was roughly the size of a six tatami room
featuring a bed, desk, chair, and closet. I opened the window and looked down
on the street. The view was really nice. Also, it was heartwarming watching
children running around and playing below.
Invigorated, and in a surprisingly pleasant mood, I left my room and locked it
shut. As I made my way back downstairs, I was greeted by a lovely smell.
"Here you go! Sorry for the wait." I took a seat in the dining room and the
lady carried my meal out to me. There was some soup, something resembling a
sandwich, and a salad. The bread was a bit hard, but very good for the first loaf I
tried in another world. Delicious, even. I devoured the entire thing.
After that, I gave some thought to my next course of action. I was going to be
staying at the inn for a while, so I figured I should go get a feel for how things
were around town.
"I'm heading off for a walk."
"Alrighty! See you later, then." After the innkeep, who told me her name was
Micah, saw me off, I left to go explore the rest of town.
Being a town in another world, everything was unusual and fascinating. My
wandering gaze made some people regard me with suspicion, and whenever I
grew aware of that fact, it caused my gaze to wander even more. Carrying on
like that would just put me in an endless loop... That was no good.
One thing that I did notice about the people in town was how many of them
were carrying weapons around. Some had swords or axes, others had knives,
and a few were even carrying whips. It struck me as somewhat dangerous, but I
figured that was just how it was in this world. I made note to consider buying a
weapon of my own.
"First thing's first, though. I need to start making money. I can't very well live
in this world without a source of income..."
Never would have thought I'd be job-hunting so soon. Honestly, it would've
been nice if I had a specialty of some kind... Alas, my best subject in school was
history, and the history of another world wasn't exactly much help.
The only other thing that came to mind was music. Did this world even have
pianos? Well, even if there were some around, it wasn't like I was especially
talented at it.
"Hmm?" Something suddenly caught my attention. Noises... Voices, even.
Loud voices coming from one of the alleyways off from the main road. Sounded
like an argument of some kind.
"...Guess I can check that out." With that thought, I set off for the back alley.
◇ ◇ ◇
When I made it to the end of the narrow back alley, I found four people. It
looked to be two men having an argument with two girls. Both of the men
seemed the nasty, rough sort, but the girls were exceptionally adorable.
The girls looked to be around my age, perhaps younger. The two of them
were so alike that I almost thought I had been seeing double. I wondered if they
were twins, perhaps. Looking closer, they had their differences. They looked
different around the eyes, and one had long hair while the other wore hers
short. But even then, they had the same silver hair.
Both of them wore the same black jacket and white blouse, but the girl with
longer hair wore culotte shorts with black knee socks, while the girl with shorter
hair wore a flared skirt with black tights. It was easy to tell that the long haired
girl was full of energy, while the short hair girl was more neat and composed.
"This isn't what we agreed on! You said you'd buy it for one gold!" The long
haired girl yelled at the men, who both stood grinning as if arrogantly mocking
her. One of the men held something like a deer's antler made of glass.
"Hmm? Whaddya mean. I said we'd buy your Crystal Deer's antler for one
gold if it was in perfect condition. But lookie right here, it's scratched! A
damaged antler's only worth one silver, so that's what we're paying you. Go on,
take it and scram!" A single silver coin rolled to the ground at the girls' feet.
"That doesn't even count as a scratch! You were never planning on giving us a
fair deal, were you...!" The long-haired girl glared menacingly toward the men,
while the short-haired girl quietly bit her lip in frustration.
"...Fine. I don't want your money. Just give us back the antler." The longhaired girl said that and took a step forward. Disproportionately large gauntlets
appeared on her arms as she advanced toward them.
"Oh, afraid we can't be having that. This was a fair trade, y'know? I never
agreed to give it back—"
"Ah, excuse me. Do you have a moment?" I spoke up, and everyone's eyes fell
upon me. The girls seemed confused, but the men looked almost ready to jump
me.
"Huh? Whaddya want, kid?" one of the men said with a snarl.
"Ah, not you. I meant the girl over there," I replied calmly.
"Eh? Me?" was the only response I got from her as I ignored the scowling man
and called out to the girl behind him.
"I was just wondering if you might sell me that antler for one gold." For a
moment she stood flabbergasted. Then my words finally seemed to click with
her, and she answered me with a smile.
"It's a deal!"
"The hell it is! Don't go selling things that belong to other people—"
Suddenly, the crystal antler shattered to pieces in the man's hands. The stone I
had thrown met its mark.
"Wha...?! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Whatever do you mean? I'm free to treat my belongings however I'd like to.
Oh, though I guess I haven't paid for it yet. I'll do that now."
"I'll kill you!" One of the men bellowed as he pulled a knife and charged right
at me. I managed to dodge him easily by paying attention to his movements.
For some reason I just knew that I'd be able to dodge his attack. I could see
everything, from the man's movements to the knife's trajectory.
That had to be the result of one of those gifts that God had given me to
bolster my body and my senses. I bent down and swept the man's legs from
under him. He collapsed to the ground face-up, and I drove my fist into his body
in one swift motion.
"Gah...!" He passed out right on the spot I had knocked him down with that
one final grunt. It seemed that the move I'd learned from my grandpa had come
in handy.
When I turned around, I noticed that the other man was fighting the longhaired girl. He swung around a hatchet, but he couldn't seem to get a good hit
on her and his blows kept bouncing off her gauntlets. When she saw her
chance, the girl stepped forward, quick as lightning, and swung a tremendous
right hook straight into the man's face.
He collapsed to the ground with his eyes rolling back in his head. Amazing.
Well... if I had known it'd be that easy, then maybe I wouldn't have shattered
that crystal antler... I actually regretted doing so. There was no point regretting
past decisions. I'd thought to calm the situation peacefully by removing the
source of the argument, but it seemed that had been a poor plan. I took one
gold coin from my wallet and went to hand it to the long-haired girl.
"Here, one gold coin."
"...Are you sure? I mean, it'd really help us out, but..."
"It's fine. I'm the one who smashed the antler to pieces. Wouldn't be fair to
go back on my word now."
"In that case... thank you." With that, she accepted the coin with her
gauntlet-clad hand.
"Oh, and thanks for helping us out there. I'm Elze Silhoueska, and this is my
younger twin sister, Linze Silhoueska."
"...Thank you very much!" The short-haired girl spat out those words, bowed,
and gave me a little smile.
Seemed they were twins, just as I had thought. The long-haired one was Elze,
and the short-haired one was Linze. Easy enough to remember. Though I still
couldn't tell them apart except by hairstyle and clothes.
"My name's Mochizuki Touya. Oh, uh, Touya's my given name."
"Hmm... Your given name and family name are backward? Are you from
Eashen?"
"Ah... er, yeah. Somewhere around those parts." Met with the same reaction
as Micah from the inn, I just left it at that again. All those reactions did,
however, move thoughts of Eashen to the forefront of my mind. I wanted to
know what kind of a country it was.
"Oh, I see. So you only just arrived in town too, huh, Touya." I chatted with
Elze over fruit juice. In my case, though, it was less having just arrived in this
town and more having just arrived in the world.
After the events in the alleyway, we returned to the Silver Moon Inn. The girls
had told me they were looking for an inn, so I took them back with me. Micah
was overjoyed when I brought back more customers. So much that it showed
clearly on her face.
Since we were all together anyway, we decided to share a meal. We talked a
lot while eating the dinner Micah had made, and after dinner, we all had some
tea to drink.
"See, we came here to deliver a Crystal Deer's antler after those guys put out
a request, but that went about as well as you saw. I mean, their request was
plenty suspicious, so I did figure something was up, but still..."
"...That's why I said we shouldn't accept their request... But Sis, you wouldn't
listen to me..." Linze spoke up to reprimand her older sister. She seemed to be
the one with a good head on her shoulders. Meanwhile, Elze seemed to have
more of a wild personality. Elze the fearless older sister and Linze the shy little
sister. At least, that was how they seemed to me.
"So why would you accept their request if you knew it sounded suspicious?" I
voiced my doubts for the girls to hear. I couldn't help but wonder why they'd
bother to try and strike up any kind of deal with dubious characters like those
guys.
"Funny story, actually... See, we'd just beaten a Crystal Deer and gotten one
of its antlers when we heard that there was someone looking to buy one.
Sounded almost too good to be true. Well, I guess it was, considering we got
duped and all... Suppose we'll only be accepting requests like that through the
guild from now on. Hopefully that way we'll get wrapped up in a lot less
trouble." Elze lowered her gaze and let out a big sigh.
"Wanna take this opportunity to get registered with the guild, Linze?"
"...That sounds like a good idea. Better safe than sorry, after all. Let's go some
time tomorrow."
The guild... As I remembered from games, it was something like an
employment service center that would mediate jobs for prospective
adventurers. They'd have lots of quests posted and completing them would net
you some money. Hmm...
"If it's alright with you, can I tag along tomorrow? I need to get registered
with the guild, too."
"Sure! I don't see why not."
"Yeah... We can all go together..." The two of them kindly agreed.
Alright. I'd get registered with this guild and see if I could make some money
working through them. That might well have been my ticket to earning a stable
income that would allow me to live comfortably.
With all of that decided, the three of us split up, so I went back to my room.
My long first day in this world had finally come to an end. It sure was a busy
day, too...
I was transported to another world, made to sell my clothes, searched for an
inn to stay at, helped a couple of girls, and gotten myself into a brawl. What the
heck was with all that...
For the time being, I decided to note everything that had happened that day
down in my smartphone in place of an actual diary. After that, I opened up a
few news sites and checked in on how things were going down in my old world.
Oh, the Giants are winning. Aww, that band's gonna break up... What a
shame.
I turned my phone off once I'd found a good place to stop reading, then
crawled my way into bed. I would be registering with the guild the next day, so I
wondered what it'd be like... Thoughts like that ran through my mind until
drowsiness finally overtook me.
"Zzz..."
◇ ◇ ◇
The electronic noise of my smartphone's alarm got me to sluggishly crawl out
of my futon. I then washed my face, got dressed, and headed downstairs to the
dining room. Elze and Linze were already awake and having breakfast. I took my
seat and Micah brought out some food for me as well. This morning's menu was
bread with ham and eggs, vegetable soup, and a salad. What a delicious way to
start the day.
The three of us headed out to the guild as soon as we'd finished eating. It was
pretty crowded since it was right near the middle of town.
The first floor of the guild's building was laid out like a restaurant. It was a lot
more cheerful than I thought it would be. I'd pictured it in my head as a bar
where ruffians would hang about, but it looked like my fears were unfounded.
The female receptionist met us with a lovely smile as we approached the
counter.
"Uhm, we'd like to register with the guild, please."
"All right, then. That's no problem at all. Would that be three for registration,
then?"
"Yes. All three of us," Linze replied.
"Will this be your first time registering with the guild? If so, I can provide a
basic explanation of what it means to register with us."
"Please do." The gist of it was that the guild would take the requests of
individuals or groups, publicize them, then take a small fee upon completion.
That was how the guild worked.
The requests were split into ranks based on how difficult they were expected
to be, so someone with a low personal rank couldn't accept requests aimed at
those of a higher rank. However, so long as half of one's party were of a high
enough rank, they would be able to accept such requests even if the others in
the party didn't meet the rank requirements.
Upon completion of a quest, one would receive payment. If one failed a
quest, however, they would be charged with breach of contract. Hrmm... I need
to pick and choose my work carefully.
In addition, if one continued to fail multiple quests, then they would be
deemed a low-quality individual, and their guild registration would be revoked
as a penalty. Were that to happen, one would never be able to re-register with
any guild branch in any town.
Other stipulations included: if one did not accept any requests at all for five
years, then their guild registration would expire; one could not accept multiple
requests at the same time; concerning subjugation requests, one must hunt the
monsters in the designated area, else their work would be deemed invalid; as a
general rule, the guild would not directly involve itself in personal dissent
between adventurers, unless such dissent was judged to be harmful to the guild
itself... Anyway, we received a pretty thorough explanation of the rules.
"And that about sums up the explanation. If you have any further questions,
please direct them to the appropriate individuals."
"Alright, got it," I replied.
"Very well. Please fill in and return these forms with all of the required
details." The receptionist handed us three blank forms, but I couldn't read a
single word on them. When I informed Linze that I couldn't read or write, she
agreed to help me fill out my form. Hrm... I knew that being illiterate was going
to cause me problems sooner or later.
The receptionist then took the registration forms and held a pitch black card
over each of them in turn, seemingly casting some sort of spell. Afterward, she
took out a small pin and told each of us to spill a little bit of our blood onto the
cards.
I did as I was instructed, took the small pin in hand and pricked my finger with
it, then rubbed a small amount of blood onto the surface of the card. Some
white letters floated up onto it... but I still couldn't make heads or tails of what
it said.
"Each of your personal Guild Cards has a little spell on it that will make it turn
gray if handled by someone other than its real owner for longer than a few
seconds. It's a simple anti-forgery mechanism. Also, should you happen to lose
your card, please report to the guild as swiftly as possible. For a small fee, we
will be able to issue you a new card."
The receptionist took hold of my card and stood there for a few seconds. Just
as she'd said, it eventually turned from pitch black to a dull gray. The very
moment she placed the card back in my hands, it snapped right back to black.
That was a really cool trick. I wondered how it worked.
"With this, your guild registration is complete. All available work requests are
posted on the board over there. If you see one you would like to accept, please
confirm all details and apply for it through our quest clerk."
The three of us stood in front of the board where the quests were posted.
Our Guild Cards were all black, signifying that we were at the beginner level.
Our cards would apparently change in color as our ranks rose, but right now we
could only accept quests aimed at beginners.
Elze and Linze busily pored through each quest notice one by one, but I on the
other hand...
"...Not good. I seriously need to learn how to read and write, and fast..." If I
couldn't understand the details of a job, I was never going to get anywhere. I
made a mental note to put evenings aside for studying my reading and writing.
"Hey, hey, Linze, check this one out. The reward's pretty decent, and it seems
like a good place to start. How about it?"
"...Yeah. This one doesn't seem so bad. What do you think, Touya?"
"...Sorry. I can't make any sense of it." Elze had been merrily pointing out the
request in question, but her finger drooped slightly when I said that. Ngh...
"...Umm, let's see. It's a request to go out and defeat some beast monsters in
the forest to the east. They want us to hunt five Lone-Horned Wolves. They're
not very strong, so I think we can manage. Oh right, the reward is eighteen
copper." Linze was polite enough to read out the details of the quest to me.
Eighteen copper, huh... Split evenly between us, that would make for six
copper each. That could pay for three nights of lodging. Not bad at all.
"Fine, let's go with that," I decided.
"Okie dokie! I'll take this to the clerk." Elze tore down the request notice and
headed on over to the quest clerk.
Lone-Horned Wolves... Apparently they were wolves with a single horn on
their head, sort of obvious given their name. I was slightly worried as to
whether I could defeat them or not...
...Huh? "Oh, right... I completely forgot..."
"What's wrong...?" Linze curiously asked why I was standing there, clearly
dumbfounded.
"I, uh... I sort of kind of don't have a weapon yet." It had totally slipped my
mind.
Trying to take on a subjugation quest unarmed would have been the height of
idiocy. Therefore, we decided to make a beeline for the weapon store after
departing the guild.
We took a north street and eventually another glaringly obvious logo on a
signboard came into view. Just as one might expect, this one was of a sword
and shield. And again, just as one might expect, I could not decipher the name
of the shop printed below the logo.
Opening the shop door made a small bell tinkle, announcing our arrival. The
noise caused a massive, bearded old man to spawn from within the depths of
the store. He was huge. In fact, I almost mistook him for a bear.
"Welc'm. Lookin' for something?"
The bear-man appeared to be the store's owner. Goddamn he's massive. He
had to have been at least two meters tall. Was he some sort of pro wrestler or
something?
"We're looking for a weapon for this guy here. Mind if we take a look
around?" Elze asked in a clear attempt to aid me.
"Go right ahead. Feel free to pick up anythin' that catches yer eye." Mr. Bear
responded to her with a gentle smile.
What a nice bear... I mean person. What a nice person. I wondered if he
would like some honey...
The shop was packed from floor to ceiling with weapons. There were all kinds
up on display as well. Everything from swords to spears, bows, axes, even
whips. So many weapons...
"Any weapons you're good with, Touya?"
"Hrmm... Nothing particular comes to mind, but... Well, I have been trained
with swords. Just a little, though." Negative thoughts formed in my mind as I
answered Elze's question. I said swords, but I'd only ever held one in kendo
classes. I'd never actually received any proper training. I probably knew some of
the basics of swordplay, at best. I was pretty much a rank amateur.
"...In that case, I think a sword would be the best fit. Touya seems like more
of an agile fighter than one who uses brute force, so, I think, maybe a onehanded sword..." Linze pointed out a section of the shop where one-handed
swords were on display.
I picked up one of the swords, still in its scabbard, and held it by the hilt with
one hand. It was too light. I felt that maybe a slightly heavier sword would suit
me better.
Just then, one sword in particular caught my eye. Actually, that was no mere
sword... It was a katana. A slim, curved blade with a masterfully crafted circular
handguard. A black sheath with a belt-like cord. Upon closer inspection, there
were parts which differed from the Japanese katanas that I was familiar with,
but it was still remarkably similar.
"...What's the matter?"
"Oh, you're looking at that Eashen sword? I suppose it makes sense that you'd
be drawn to a weapon from your homeland." Noticing my fixation on the
katana, Linze and Elze called out to me.
Ah, so this sword was from Eashen, apparently. Not that it was actually my
homeland... But, well, it did seem that Eashen and Japan had a lot of common
points. The more I heard about it, the more interested I became in this Eashen.
I took the katana down and carefully removed it from its sheath. The pattern
on the blade shone beautifully in the light, captivating me for a moment. The
blade was a bit thicker than I'd assumed, so the katana itself was fairly heavy.
Not so heavy that I wouldn't be able to swing it properly, though.
"How much is this one?" Mr. Bear's head popped out suddenly from farther
back in the store as soon as those words left my mouth.
"Err, that one, eh? That'll be two gold, aye. Thing is, though, it ain't exactly
the easiest weapon ta use. Definitely ain't something I'd suggest fer a
beginner."
"T-Two gold?! Isn't that a little expensive?" Elze argued on my behalf.
"Well, it ain't like I usually get 'em stocked often, and even when I do there's
hardly anyone who can use the dang thing. Of course it's gonna be pricey!" Elze
pouted at Mr. Bear's words, but he remained steadfast.
Thinking it over, that price probably was reasonable. Even I could tell that a
weapon like this had intrinsic value.
"I'll take it. You said it cost two gold?" I returned the katana to its sheath and
pulled two gold coins out from my wallet, placing them on the store counter.
"Pleasure doin' business with ya. Interested in any protective gear while yer
at it?"
"Nah, this'll do for now. I'll come back when I have a bit more cash on me."
"Gotcha. Well then, here's hoping that sword helps ya earn a boatload." The
bear heartily laughed as he spoke.
Now, I'd found what I was after, but Elze and Linze ended up picking some
things up while we were there. Elze went for some leg armor called greaves, a
type that covers the leg from roughly foot to shin, and Linze bought a silver
wand. It seemed that Elze was a close-ranged brawler, while Linze supported
from the rear with magic.
Weapons secured, we decided that the general item shop was next on our list
of stops. Along the way, I got curious about something, so I fired up my map
application to check the name of the shop we just left.
«Weapon Shop Eight Bears» ...Did everyone in the town share this bizarre
naming sense?
At the item shop I bought a small pouch, a canteen, a lunchbox, a fishing hook
and some fishing line, a pair of scissors, a knife, a toolbox with plenty of handy
little things such as matches, some medicinal herbs, some antidotes, and other
little things along those lines. Elze and Linze already had necessities like that, so
I was the only one who bought anything there.
And so, our preparations were complete at last. Beware, Lone-Horned Wolves,
we're coming to the forest to wipe you out!
◇ ◇ ◇
The eastern forest was about a two hour walk away from Reflet. I had hoped
we might be able to hitch a ride on a carriage if we happened to pass any, but
not a single one passed by. Exactly two hours later, we arrived at the forest.
We made our way into the dense woodland, being sure to take note of our
surroundings. At first I was frightened by every little noise, from birds crying to
small animals moving around amongst the trees. Gradually, though, I started to
notice something.
Faintly, but surely... I could detect the presence of things around me. I could
tell what or where something was, how it saw us... All manner of things like
that. I wondered what it was... Some kind of sixth sense, maybe? It might've
just been another one of those little gifts from God.
As I pondered the thought, I noticed something directing aggression toward
us from just a bit ahead and to the left. I could feel the hostility clearly.
"Hold up. Something's there." The girls stopped in their tracks when I spoke
up.
I continued to gaze toward that point as my party got into a battle formation.
As if it was waiting for that one movement, a dark shadow came leaping out
and attacked us.
"Hup!" I panicked and spun my body to evade, reassuring myself internally
that it was fine after all.
I could predict its movements. It was roughly the size of a large dog, with gray
fur and a single black horn on its head. However, the beast before me was far
too ferocious to be a mere dog... So this is what a Lone-Horned Wolf looks like.
As I turned to face it, a second one jumped out from the other side and
attacked Elze. She stood before the creature and swung her fist straight into the
creature's muzzle. Taking a smashing blow from her gauntlet-clad fist, the LoneHorned Wolf was thrown to the ground with all the life knocked out of it. Killed
in a single motion.
Thinking me distracted as I looked at Elze's fight, the wolf in front of me bared
its fangs and leaped to attack again. I remained calm, simply moving in time
with the wolf's attack, then drew the katana at my hip. My attack connected as
our bodies passed one another. In that instant, the wolf's head was torn from
its body and sent flying through the air. The decapitated piece bounced to the
ground like a basketball.
I felt some guilt and other unpleasant emotions at having killed an animal for
the first time in my life, but another four wolves showed up before I had any
time to let those emotions sink in. Two of them rushed toward my location.
"Come forth, Fire! Hail of Red Stones: [Ignis Fire]!"
By the time I even heard those words, one of the wolves charging at me
suddenly burst into flames. It seemed like Linze had backed me up from behind
with her magic. Crap! I missed my first chance to see magic in action! Dang it...
The other wolf charged at me, but I dodged once again and laid into it with
my katana. It dropped to the ground and its body became still.
I turned to see one of the other wolves leaping at Elze, who countered with a
roundhouse kick to its stomach and sent it flying. Nearby, the final remaining
wolf was burned to a crisp. Man, I just missed another chance to see magic...
"Guess we're done here. The request was to defeat five wolves, but we ended
up taking out one extra, huh." Elze reported in, clanging her gauntlets together.
We'd beaten six in total, with each of us having taken out two. For our first
fight, that was pretty good. Though really, it was only my first fight.
So, as proof that we'd completed the quest, we had to take back the wolf
horns with us. We cut off all six of their horns and placed them in our pouches.
Our only remaining job was to deliver them to the guild to complete the
mission.
As we left the forest, I physically felt my body grow less tense. It felt like
something stifling had been lifted right out of the air. That was probably just
another feeling I had to get used to.
Luckily this time we managed to catch a carriage on its way into town, so we
got to hitch a ride.
We made it back to town in only a fraction of the time thanks to that. After
arriving in town, we traveled by foot to the guild, where we reported in about
completing the request to hunt five Lone-Horned Wolves. I ended up keeping
the remaining horn in commemoration of the day's events.
"Okay, all of the horns appear to be here. Now, please present your Guild
Cards." When we presented our cards to the receptionist, she pressed
something like a stamp on each of them. As she did, a magical circle appeared
briefly on the cards before fading out.
When I asked about it later, I found out that the stamp differed based on the
difficulty of the request completed. The cards saved the information about
what we had done, so as we accumulated stamps, eventually our rank would
increase and the color of our card would change.
We were only at Black, the Beginner rank. Apparently, the ascending order
was Black, Purple, Green, Blue, Red, Silver, and finally Gold.
"Here's your reward of eighteen copper coins. Well then, the request has
been fulfilled. Good work out there!" The receptionist handed us our reward,
which we promptly split into six coins each. With that, we'd earned three days
of food and accommodation. And it finally felt like I would be able to make it
just fine in this new world.
"Hey, hey, wanna go grab a bite to eat to celebrate clearing our first quest?"
Elze proposed that course of action as we left the guild.
It was a little early for dinner, but it occurred to me that we'd missed lunch,
so I supposed that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. Plus, I had a favor to ask, so
it seemed like a good opportunity.
We decided to go to a little tea house in town. I ordered a hot sandwich and
milk, Elze ordered what appeared to be a meat pie and orange juice, and Linze
ordered a pancake and black tea. After our orders were brought out, I began to
talk.
"Hey, can I ask you two for a favor?"
"A favor?" Elze replied.
"Yeah. Think you could teach me how to read and write? It'd really help me
out. I'm already having trouble here and there, so I figure that the sooner I
learn, the better."
"Hmm... that's a good point! If you can't read quest information, then I
guess..." Elze and Linze nodded in unison. It was at times like that where you
could really tell they were twins.
"In that case, get Linze to teach you. She's smart, so I'm sure she'll be a good
teacher."
"Th-That's not... I mean... If you're okay with me..."
"Thanks a lot. You'd really be helping me out."
Alright. So I'd be able to work toward my goal of being able to read and write.
I just had to face my studies seriously. I was glad I'd found such a kind teacher.
Speaking of which...
"Oh yeah, Linze. While we're at it, do think you could teach me some magic?
I'd like to be able to cast spells and stuff as well.
"Whaat?!" Darned twins were even speaking in unison... What? Was what I
said really that weird?
◇ ◇ ◇
"Teach you some magic...? Well... Touya, what's your aptitude?"
"Aptitude?"
"Magic is highly influenced by the... aptitude that you're born with! People
without the gift for it... won't be able to use magic at all..."
Hmm... So, magic wasn't something that just anybody could use. Well, that
made sense. After all, if everyone could use magic, then civilization would have
been far more based around it.
"The gift for it, huh... You know, I think I'll be fine on that front. Someone, uh,
guaranteed that I'd be able to use magic if I wanted to."
"Who told you that?"
"Oh uh... just a very, very important person." It was God, as a matter of fact.
Hah. Yeah right. They'll think I'm insane if I tell them that. I figured it'd be best
to keep that part to myself.
"I mean, is there any way to test whether someone has any aptitude for
magic?"
At my question, Linze pulled out some translucent stones from the pouch
around her waist. Red, blue, yellow, and perfectly clear; they shone almost like
they were made of glass. Each one was about one centimeter around. Looking
at them, I remembered that there was a similar one on Linze's silver wand. The
one on her wand was bigger than the pebbles she placed before me, though.
"Okay, so what are these?" I asked, clearly confused by her actions.
"They're, uhm, spellstones. They can be used to amplify, store, and release
magical energy. We can use these to test whether or not you have aptitude for
magic. But it can only provide a rough estimate, either way..." Linze whispered
something like "I wonder if water would be the easiest to demonstrate..."
before picking up the blue stone. She held it over the cup that she'd finished
drinking her tea out of.
"Come forth, Water!"
At Linze's command, a small amount of water flowed from the spellstone and
into the teacup.
"Whoa."
"This is how you cast a spell. Just now, the spellstone responded to my
magical energy and created water."
"By the way..." Elze cut in, then took the spellstone from her sister. After that,
she tried to cast the same spell.
"Come forth, Water!"
The spellstone refused to activate. Not even a droplet of water poured out.
"This is what happens when you have no aptitude for an element. See, this
means I can't use Water magic."
"You can't use it even though your twin sister can?"
"Man, you really don't think before you speak, huh? I mean, no offense taken,
but still..."
Whoops. That was a pretty poor slip of the tongue. It didn't seem like she was
seriously angry at me, though, more like sulking a little. I was just glad my
thoughtless comment hadn't hurt her.
"In exchange for not being able to use Water magic, Sis can use Fortification
magic... I can't use that type, personally... You need the proper aptitude to use
Fortification magic, too."
Things suddenly made a lot more sense. I had been wondering where she was
packing all that punch in that slender frame of hers, but the mystery had been
solved.
"Everyone has some magical energy inside them, but unless they have the
aptitude to use it, they won't be able to channel it into any spells." Seemed like
everything hinged on whether or not you had the gift for it. Those without
talent were just out of luck. It seemed that this world was just as unfair as the
last.
"So, we'll be able to test my aptitude if I do the same?"
"Yes. Just take the stone in your hand and focus on it, then chant Come forth,
Water! Then, if you have the aptitude... water should come out." Elze handed
me the blue spellstone as she said that. I put a plate down under my hand to
keep the table from getting wet, then held the stone above it and began to
concentrate. I cast the spell I had just been taught.
"Come forth, Water!"
Before I could even blink, the spellstone started gushing out water like a
broken faucet.
"Uh-oh-huh-wha-?!"
I dropped the spellstone hurriedly, and the waterfall immediately ceased.
Sadly, though, it was too late. The table looked like it had just been soaked
down with a hose, and the tablecloth was drenched.
"...What the heck does this mean?" I looked at the two sisters sitting in front
of me, seeking some kind of explanation for the bizarre scene. Neither one
answered me, though. They just sat there, looking on in amazement at the
spectacle before them. It honestly looked like the expressions on their faces
had been copied and pasted. In fact, it was all so silly that I almost found myself
laughing.
"...Touya, you have so much magical energy that it's almost overflowing... I
think. To cause such a strong reaction with such a tiny stone and only the
fragment of a spell... and on your first attempt, too... It's just... your magical
energy seems to be obscenely potent... I can't believe my own eyes, even
though I just saw it."
"...You're really much more suited to being a mage, I think. Seriously, I've
never seen anything like this in my life."
Seemed I had the potential after all, just like God told me I would. My sheer
talent in the field was surely the work of God, too. It had to be. I mean, I wasn't
about to complain about it, I was just glad to know that I really could use magic.
Apologizing for soaking the table, we rushed straight out of the cafe. The sun
had already set by the time we got back to the inn, so my magic lessons were to
be left for the next day and onward.
Once I finished my dinner, Linze began to teach me how to read and write. I
got Micah's permission to use the dining room for the lesson. To start off with, I
had Linze write out a simple sentence for me. Next to that, I wrote the same
thing in Japanese.
"...I've never seen writing like this before. Where did you learn it?"
"Hm... It's a written language native to my hometown and the area around it.
I'm probably the only one around these parts who can read it." Never mind
these parts, I was probably the only person in the world who could understand
this writing. It was almost like a secret code language for my eyes only.
Linze looked a bit bemused, but it seemed like she believed my story for the
moment. Moving on, she taught me some more very simple phrases, which I
steadily paired with their Japanese counterparts. Linze must've been a talented
teacher, because the words just clicked into place in my brain.
Wait, has my memory always been this good? Is this another act of God...? If it
really is thanks to God, then it would've been way better if he just let me know
the language right off the bat. Such thoughts did cross my mind, but I was sure
God had his reasons. I wasn't really in a position to be asking for more than I'd
already gotten from him, anyway.
We cut off at a good stopping point, then Linze and I returned to our
respective rooms for the night.
I whipped out my smartphone and noted down the day's events in my
makeshift diary. I then decided to take a peek at what was going on in the other
world. Oh, that person won a People's Honor Award. Ah, I wanted to see that
movie...
Eventually, I suddenly snapped to my senses and remembered to open up my
map and check for Eashen. I found out that it was an island country far to the
east of here on the map, just off the edge of the continent. I never thought it
would resemble Japan all the way down to those points, but it was almost
identical. I'd decided I'd like to go there if I ever got the chance.
Between hunting those monsters and all that walking, I was beat. I soon felt
drowsiness take its grip, so I crawled into bed and let the sandman do his job.
Goodnight.
"Zzz..."
◇ ◇ ◇
"Uhm... well then, let's begin." Linze seemed a bit nervous, almost straining
herself to announce the beginning of our lessons. She struck me as more than
just shy, almost docile even. Maybe she could've learned from her sister...
within reason, anyway. She'd opened up a bit as we'd gotten to know each
other, but I couldn't help but feel she was still a fair bit distant.
Today we were taking a break from guild quests to give me a crash course in
magic training instead. We sat at a worn-out little table around the back of the
inn, since it seemed like it wasn't in use by customers anymore. Oh, and since
Elze had nothing to do, she went to the guild and picked up a simple plant
harvesting job that she could manage on her own.
"Well then, Ms. Silhoueska, I'll be in your care today."
"M-Ms. Silhoueska is a bit much... A-Ah...!" My adorable teacher drooped her
head and blushed a full red through to her ears. Damn, she's cute.
"Alright, what's up first?"
"Oh, right. Well, we should start from the basics, so... You know that there are
different elements of magic, right?"
"Elements?" I questioned, not fully aware of the distinctions.
"You know, like fire and water. Well, uhm... the seven basic elements are Fire,
Water, Earth, Wind, Light, Dark, and Null. We already know that you're
proficient in Water magic, as we learned yesterday." She was clearly referring
to the little spellstone incident the day before. Since I was able to bring out that
much water, I was obviously proficient in Water magic.
"We learned right away that you can use Water magic, which is good. If you
couldn't use Water magic, the plan was to test you using the spellstone for a
different element."
"So even if someone can use magic, they're limited to certain elements...?"
"That's right. By the way, the elements I'm proficient in are Fire, Water, and
Light. As for the other four, I can't even cast the most basic spells. Even among
the three I can use, I'm good with Fire spells, but Light magic is a bit difficult."
So even in this world, there were the haves and the have nots. You couldn't
choose talents for yourself. God must have decided those things instead. I felt
sorry for poor old God.
"Right, so I get stuff like Fire or Water, but what about Light, Dark, or Null?
What do those elements do?"
"Light is also known as Holy magic, which uses light as a medium. Healing
magic falls under this category. Dark is primarily Summoning magic... You can
use it to form contracts with magic beasts or monsters and have them fight for
you. As for Null... that one's a bit different from the other elements. It's mainly
composed of spells unique to the caster. Sis can use Fortification magic, which is
a good example."
Made sense to me. Something like that seemed pretty useful overall.
"Apart from Null, each element is dependent on your magical energy plus
your aptitude with it, and will only come forth once the proper spell is cast. You
can't do anything if you don't know which elements you're compatible with, so
we'll test for that first." As she spoke, Linze took the spellstones out from her
pouch and lined them up on the table. Seven in total, colored red, blue, brown,
green, yellow, purple, and clear.
"The elements of these spellstones are, in order: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind,
Light, Dark, and Null. We'll test them all in that order."
First off was the red spellstone. I grasped it in my hand and concentrated,
reciting the spell that Linze had taught me.
"Come forth, Fire!"
The stone burst forth flames like an oven at my words. I panicked and
dropped the stone, which made the fire disappear in an instant. That was
dangerous!
"It's okay, magical fire won't hurt the one casting it. Well, not unless your
clothes catch fire, of course. Just make sure that doesn't happen..."
"Huh, is that so?" I took the spellstone in hand and cast the spell once more.
A flame popped out again, but she was right. It wasn't hot to the touch. So, if
a magic flame spread to something else, then even the caster would get hurt,
huh? Maybe that meant that when something caught fire due to magic, it didn't
count as magical flames anymore... Still, wasn't the flame a bit too big?
"It seems like you've just got way too much magical energy... I'm sure you'll
be able to control it better with practice, but for now, it might be safer to not
concentrate too much and instead let your mind wander a bit..."
So basically, if I went at it a bit more relaxed, the effect of the magic would be
much less extreme? Her advice sounded odd, but it was worth a shot. Anyway,
next up was the blue stone, but we'd already confirmed that one, so we moved
onto the brown one. This time I took the stone in hand without really
concentrating on it, and cast the spell in a more bland, uninspired fashion.
"Come forth, Earth."
Sand started spilling out of the spellstone. Well, that got sand all over the
table. I knew we had to clean all that up later...
Next up was the green spellstone.
"Come forth, Wind."
A small squall burst out and blew all the sand off the tabletop as soon as I
spoke. Nice that I wouldn't have to clean up anymore, but it also knocked the
spellstones all over the place. Damn it.
"Come forth, Light."
The spellstone turned into a strobe light. Ugh, my eyes!
"Come forth, Dark."
Now, I totally didn't understand that one. Some kind of black mist poured out
of the spellstone and clung to its surroundings. It was super creepy.
Having gone through six elements, I finally noticed a small change in Linze's
expression. She'd been celebrating with me after each element for a while, but
had gradually begun to speak less and less, and there was currently a grave
expression on her face.
"...What's up?" I asked, worry evident in my voice.
"Eh? No, it's nothing. I've just never met anyone who's proficient with as
many as six elements... I mean, I can use three, and even that's considered
rare... But you... You're something else entirely."
So, that was it. Hrmm... I mean, this was a gift from God and all, but it still felt
like I was cheating a little. There were probably people who couldn't use magic
even though they really wanted to, so it felt like I was trampling all over their
feelings.
Still, worrying like that wouldn't change anything. Moving on to the final test,
I grabbed the clear spellstone.
"...Huh? Hold on, how do I use this one?" I'd just been chanting "Come forth,
something!" up to that point, but would that really make sense? Wasn't "Come
forth, Null!" a contradiction? Sure sounded awkward at least.
"The Null element is a bit special. It doesn't have any particular incantation.
Instead, it activates based on your magical energy and spell name alone." Hm...
so that was how it worked. Sounded mighty convenient, this blank element...
"For example, the Fortifying magic that Sis uses is activated by yelling [Boost]
and that's it. There are others such as [Power Rise] that increase raw muscle
strength, and rarer spells like [Gate] that allow one to move great distances, but
Sis can't use those."
So, basically, all the handy little miscellaneous spells that didn't fit under any
element were listed under the Null element.
"...Well, how do I figure out which Null-type spells I can cast, then?"
"According to Sis, she just somehow knows the spell name for some reason.
Null-type magic is also referred to as personalized magic, so very few people are
ever able to use the exact same spells as each other. There are people with
multiple Null-type spells out there, but these people are exceedingly rare."
Sounded mighty inconvenient, this blank element...
"So, there's no quick way to learn which Null-type spells I'll be able to cast,
then...?"
"No, we should still be able to test that. If you grip the spellstone and try to
cast any kind of Null-type spell, then even if it fails, the stone should shine
slightly or wobble a bit. There should at least be some kind of small change."
"And if nothing happens?"
"...Then I'm afraid you'd have no aptitude for that element." Well, nothing to
do but give it a go, I supposed. A spell that let you cross great distances
sounded pretty handy. If I had that, we wouldn't have to walk all the way to
that forest like we did the day before.
All right. I took the clear spellstone in hand, then exclaimed the spell's name.
"[Gate]!"
Suddenly, the spellstone shone brightly and formed a translucent wall of light
next to me. The wall was roughly the size of a door. Or well, I thought it was a
wall at first, but upon closer inspection, I noticed it wasn't even one centimeter
thick. It was more like a sheet, to be honest.
"...It worked."
"...So it did," Linze replied, utterly dumbfounded.
I timidly touched the surface of the sheet of light. Ripples flowed out from the
area my fingertips brushed against. It was almost like a thin membrane of
water. I stuck my arm through the membrane and pulled it back out. Having
confirmed that it was safe, the next thing I did was stick my head through it. As I
did, my vision was filled by an expansive forest, and Elze sitting on her backside,
her eyes wide with shock.
"...'Sup Elze."
"Wha-Wha-What the... Touya?! What the heck's going on?!" I pulled my head
back for a moment, took Linze by the hand, and we walked into the forest
together.
"Linze, you too?! Eh? Eeehh?! What's going on, where'd you pop out from?!"
Linze calmly explained the situation to the panicking Elze. It seemed that we
were at the same eastern forest we'd gone to the day before. Apparently Elze
had traveled to the area to pick some medicinal herbs for her guild quest, but a
wall of light suddenly appeared. After that, an arm came flying out of it, then
flew back in, and the sheer sight of it made her fall flat on her backside.
Honestly, I'd probably have reacted the same way.
"The [Gate] spell is supposedly able to take the caster anywhere that they've
visited at least once... In all likelihood, Touya probably thought about this forest
when he was casting it."
She was right on the money. At the time, I had been thinking about how it
would be nice if we didn't have to walk all the way to the forest again.
"Haaah... So basically, you can use all seven elements? That's a bit freaky..."
Elze spoke as though she'd just gotten used to all of my eccentricities at that
point. I kind of shared the same sentiment there.
"I've never even heard of anyone who was proficient in every element before.
Touya, you're really amazing!" Linze, in stark contrast to her sister, reacted in
sheer admiration. I could only meet her in turn with a wry smile.
Elze seemed to be done with her harvesting, so as though I were a ferryman
escorting some passengers, I brought us all back through the [Gate] to the
garden behind the inn.
"It took me two whole hours to walk there, but now we're all back in an
instant. That's one handy spell you've got there." On that note, Elze left to
report her completed quest to the guild.
We decided that my crash course in magic would end there for the day, then
headed on back inside the inn. It was almost lunchtime, anyway. I wondered
what would be on the menu. I sure was hungry...
◇ ◇ ◇
When we returned to the cafeteria, Micah was there with an unfamiliar
woman who seemed to be about the same age as her. She had wavy black hair,
and judging from the white apron she was wearing, I deduced that she most
likely worked with food.
The two of them sat with various dishes laid out in front of them. They
sampled the foods with a knife and fork, making difficult expressions all the
while. Micah raised her head, then noticed us and called out.
"Oh, hey, perfect timing."
"What's up?" I inquired, as Micah brought the other lady up to us.
"This girl's name is Aer, she runs a little cafe in town, Parent."
"Ah, we were just there yesterday. It was a really nice place." I decided to
keep quiet about almost flooding the shop. I hadn't seen Aer anywhere at the
time, so my guess was that she was probably in the kitchen. Things would have
been a little awkward if she'd seen us back then.
"We're trying to come up with new items for her menu, so we figured we'd
ask your opinions on the matter. Thought that someone from another country
might know of some dishes we don't have around these parts, see?"
"I'd be very grateful if you could think of anything." Aer bowed her head as
she spoke. I looked at Linze, and we both nodded.
"I don't mind."
"...I'll help however I can." To be honest, I wasn't sure we'd be able to help at
all, though.
"What kind of food were you thinking of putting on the menu?"
"Let's see... Right, preferably something simple, I guess. A dessert dish of
some kind, something that would be a hit with young women..."
"Hmm... something young women would like, huh... I can't really think of
anything better than crepes or ice cream, to be honest..." Wow, that was a
weak suggestion even by my standards. But it wasn't like I knew much about
cooking in the first place.
"I... scream?" Aer responded, seemingly confused.
"No, no. Ice cream. You know, the kind you eat?"
"Ice... cream?"
Huh? Why's everyone making such weird faces? Is it possible that ice cream
doesn't exist in this world?
"What kind of food is that?"
"Uhm, it's like sweet and cold, white... you know, vanilla ice cream?"
"Not really... I've never heard of anything like that before." It seemed that my
suspicions had been confirmed.
Well, it only made sense. After all, this world didn't even have refrigerators.
Actually, they did have simple refrigerator-like boxes that stored ice made from
magic and used them to keep things cool. But those weren't really refrigerators,
more like coolers.
"Would you happen to know how to make it?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't really know that much... If I remember right, milk was
one of the ingredients..." I hesitated a bit at Aer's question. How was I
supposed to know how ice cream was made?
...No, wait. I may not have known how to make it, but I did have a way to find
out!
"Please wait just a minute. I think I might be able to come up with something.
Uhm, Linze. Could you help me out for a minute?"
"Huh? W-Well, I don't mind, but..."
I grabbed Linze and dragged her to my room, then pulled out my smartphone
and did a quick search for "how to make ice cream" on the internet. Okay,
good. Got it.
"...Err, what is that object?" Linze seemed quite puzzled when she saw me
fiddling with my smartphone.
"Uhh... it's a handy little magical item! I'm the only one who can actually use
it, though. I'd be really grateful if you didn't bother paying much attention to
it."
She seemed somewhat suspicious of me, but didn't pry any further. Looked
like she was quick on the uptake.
"Okay, can you write down everything I'm about to tell you?"
"No problem."
"Three eggs, two hundred milliliters of fresh cream, sixty to eighty grams of
sugar... Does any of this sound unfamiliar to you?" I posed that question to
Linze as I listed off the ingredients.
"Sorry... what are milliliters and grams?" ...Of course this would happen.
"Milliliters are a thing we use in my country when we're measuring the
amount of something. Grams are a unit of weight. Guess I'll just have to go with
my gut on those from now on... Oh, right. Linze, can you use Ice magic?"
"Yes, I can. Ice spells are considered Water magic, you see."
Then there were no problems. After listing off the ingredients, I had Linze
transcribe the instructions on how to make vanilla ice cream.
Following the instructions, Aer began making the ice cream. It was a far safer
bet than having a complete amateur like me try to make it. Though I did still
help out with the mixing, which actually took a lot more effort than I'd originally
thought.
For the last step, the mixture was placed in a container and sealed with a lid.
Linze cast her magic on it and froze the container in a block of ice. We left it for
a while until it seemed about ready, then cracked open the ice block and
retrieved the container. It appeared to have come together properly.
I took a spoon and tried a little bit. The flavor was slightly off, but I figured it
could pass for vanilla ice cream.
I put some on a plate and offered it to Aer. After a single spoonful, her eyes
shot wide open. Suddenly, her face broke out into a beaming smile.
"This is delicious...!" The lady seemed pleased with my offering, which made
me happy.
"What is this thing?! It's cold, but... it's amazing?!"
"This is really good..." Micah and Linze seemed to have taken a liking to it as
well. Honestly, I thought it could've been a lot better. Though I supposed it
would've been impossible to recreate the kind of ice cream sold in famous
stores on our first try.
Only one problem remained. Was there anyone working in Aer's store who
could use ice magic? After I asked, she explained that her younger sister could.
Okay, no problems on that front, then.
"I'm sure this one'll be popular with young women, and hopefully it meets the
standards for your shop's menu."
"Of course! Thank you very much! I'll add vanilla ice cream to the menu right
away!"
Since we didn't actually use vanilla extract, calling it vanilla ice cream was
technically incorrect... But, well, why sweat the small stuff?
Aer gave a quick goodbye, then rushed back to her shop. It seemed like she
wanted to try making it herself.
When Elze returned from the guild and heard the full story, she almost
exploded, complaining that she was the only one who didn't get to try any.
Micah cut in and said we'd make some more, and with that, I was right back on
mixing duty. I found myself gazing wistfully into the distance, earnestly wishing I
had that little lost piece of civilization known as the hand mixer... My poor
arm...
From what I'd seen so far, this world gave off the odd impression of being a
little bit mismatched in places. They had advanced greatly in some areas, but
were still stuck in the Middle Ages in others.
Take, for example, the pillow in my room. It was an incredibly soft, undeniably
high-quality pillow. And, from what I'd heard, it was on the cheaper end as far
as pillows went. The raw materials used to make it were made by processing
the hide of magic beasts that you could find just about anywhere. Made from
common materials, it was about as ordinary as a pillow could be. But if that was
what passed for ordinary, then I couldn't even begin to imagine the feel or
texture that a high-quality pillow might have had.
Different worlds have different perceptions of value. I have to try and get used
to that fact. This world is my home now, so I've got to do my best.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone